New Zealand's North Island visually has a different feel to the South Island. While the South Island has the sweeping vistas and looming mountains, North Island is decidedly more hilly. It is three times the population of South Island too. While on North Island we stayed in Rotorua, Auckland and, of course, Wellington, the home... Continue Reading →
[Part 1] Visiting the real Middle-earth: New Zealand
Although we've only just started 2021 I'm already looking forward to A Very Special Anniversary that will be taking place at the end of the year. As long-time readers of my blog know, I have loved The Lord of the Rings trilogy since I saw the first film at the cinema aged 13. This year, in... Continue Reading →
Extended edition TH – AUJ: 5 things I’ve learnt
Like any other devoted Ringer, when the extended editions of Fellowship, The Two Towers and The Return of the King were released I immediately watched them and then spent hours going through the bonus content. Director and producer Peter Jackson named this bonus content the ‘appendices’. He was following in JRR Tolkien’s footsteps; Tolkien placed... Continue Reading →
What’s your fantasy nationality?
If I belonged to a race in Skyrim I’d be a Nord. If I lived in Westeros I’d be from Winterfell. And if I lived in Middle-earth I’d be from Rohan. No, I haven’t been doing quizzes on Buzzfeed. These are references to races and places in works of fantasy that I feel I ‘fit’.... Continue Reading →
Diaries ready – important dates for film fans
While many of us are familiar with the reasons why 1st January, 31st October and 25th December are commemorated, would you be able to tell me the significance of 4th May, 31st July or 22nd September? These three dates are noteworthy to many film fans, especially to those who, like myself, enjoy the fantasy and sci-fi genres. In case you weren’t... Continue Reading →
Film-viewing Rule No 8 – You Will Not Jump Ahead
“I really want to watch the Harry Potter films again,” said my boyfriend recently. This wasn’t what he actually meant, though. What he meant was that he wanted to watch the ‘good’ films again, starting from film three, The Prisoner of Azkaban. I agreed with him, as I’ve seen the first two films that many... Continue Reading →
Meeting Sir Ian McKellen
If, as the Mayans had predicted, the world had ended yesterday, I would have been in very good company. After all, it's not every day that you get to spend the evening with a wizard. He may have even been able to protect us using his staff! Last night, on Friday 21st December, my boyfriend... Continue Reading →
[Trilogy Thursday] LOTR
Max and I are back with another edition of Trilogy Thursday. This week we take a look at The Lord of the Rings, which features Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins, Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn and Ian McKellen as Gandalf. As many of you already know, The Lord of the Rings are my favourite film series. I think I saw... Continue Reading →
24 Reasons Why I Love Films
Today, ladies and gents, is my 24th birthday. To celebrate I thought I'd list my 24 favourite things about films. From going to the cinema to my annual The Lord of the Rings marathon, there's plenty of reasons why films are my passion. Ruth over at FlixChatter was my inspiration for this post with her '59... Continue Reading →
My 10 year relationship with… The Lord of the Rings
This post was originally written to coincide with Hobbit Day, which is 22nd September. However, I though it'd make the perfect conclusion to my special The Lord of the Rings celebration. Happy reading, everyone! I hoped you enjoyed this mini series all about my beloved trilogy. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Happy Hobbit Day, everyone! As many Tolkienites know,... Continue Reading →
Celebrating 10 years of The Lord of the Rings
Today's blog post has taken inspiration from one of my favourite websites, TheOneRing.net The website was founded in 1999 by fans of Tolkien for fans of Tolkien. To use their own words, TheOneRing.net continues today in bringing fans the latest news on the beloved figures involved in the making of the wildly popular Lord of... Continue Reading →
Top 10 Middle-earth Treasures
Today's delve into the world of The Lord of the Rings and Middle-earth is all about the wondrous and fantastic items that are featured in Peter Jackson's trilogy. As always, leave a comment if a different treasure would have made your Top 10. 10 The Crown of Gondor Owned by Aragorn While this treasure doesn't have a... Continue Reading →